


A Taste of Tradition

by mmmdraco



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-12
Updated: 2012-09-12
Packaged: 2017-11-14 02:53:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/510552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fujiwara no Sai introduced Hikaru to ancient Japan. Touya Akira cemented it in his senses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Taste of Tradition

The fan in Hikaru's hand has a faint scent to it that catches at strings of his memory as he walks toward his next game. The scent of the sandalwood is sweet, musky and mild. It harkens to the days he spent wandering through museums and memorials with Sai, and of the sadness he felt visiting them again in hope of finding his friend. But he also remembers visiting Akira's house and the slightly singed scent of it permeating everything from the incense that burned during Touya Kouyo's study group. He had been reluctant to leave the place, even after arguing with Akira about the overly tame game he had played, because the lingering smell was so bittersweet.

The Go Institute smells of lemon disinfectant in the hallways and lobby. It tickles his nose as he walks past, but it is overwhelmed by other things as he moves forward. There's the scent of brewing tea as he walks by a doorway that lingers with him and causes his mouth to water. There's a hint of cigarette smoke that makes his eyes ache and burns away the other scents for a moment. And then there is the sandalwood again because he is standing next to Akira. The scent is in all of his clothes. Hikaru imagines little sachets of potpourri nestled between the sweaters and polo shirts and slacks, and perhaps a few hanging in the closet to add the aroma to his suits and dress shirts and ties. The imagery makes him smile.

"Why are you smiling, Shindou?" Akira gives him a glare that might stop anyone else dead in their tracks. It's nothing compared to the one he gave Hikaru for knocking over a go ke at his father's salon and sending several hundred stones in all directions across the room.

"I'm just ready to play."

Akira gives him a hint of a smile. "I wish I was playing you instead of your sensei."

Nodding, Hikaru tried to find a glimpse of Ashiwara in the swirl of players milling about. "He'll give you a good game, though. How's Ashiwara-san? Has he quit trying that stupid new opening hand yet?"

Akira shrugged half-heartedly as he leaned against the wall. "He tried it out again on me yesterday. He's at least learning how to connect it better, but I can't see it being useful before chuuban unless you can read that far ahead."

The scent caught Hikaru again and he inhaled deeply. There were other scents mixed in, but the only one he could isolate right now was the sandalwood. His fingers ached with need for the tactile sensation of the stones between them. How he lived before go, he no longer knew.

Glancing at the clock over the entrance to the oteai playing rooms, Akira pushed himself forward. "We should go sit down."

Hikaru nodded and followed him. As Hikaru passed Akira, the scent of genmaicha teased at his nose and he swallowed as his mouth watered again. His seat was on the other side of the room. When he got there, he kneeled and grasped his fan loosely against his thigh. Play would begin soon.

Throughout his game with Ashiwara, Hikaru caught himself at odd times lost in memories of the past. Until Sai had come into his life, he had known almost nothing of his country's heritage. His family was fonder of Western culture and it showed in what they wore and ate and how they lived. Sai had begun to introduce him to Japan as _he_ had known it, with tatami more common than hardwood floors, kimono as daily wear for most people, and processed foods not yet even a blip on the horizon. But it was Akira and his family who had made these things a part of his life.

A few years ago, he had been invited to visit Akira's house for an evening of study. He'd been invited in amid the scent of freshly cut melon and offered a plate of it. It had been sweet and musky on his tongue and the flavor lingered as he began to play against Akira. As they'd entered yose, Akira's mother brought them a tray of matcha and anmitsu. The chilled gelatin and fruit had been the perfect complement to the game they were playing. The taste of lychee still brought a sense of triumph to him as he remembered the brilliance of that game.

And then there had been dinner. Akira's mother had explained that she'd made a few special dishes just for him since his visit was a special occasion. The rice had been perfect, the miso full of earthy flavor, and the persimmon and daikon salad tangy, sharp and perfect... It had been his first time having braised gobo and he had regretted the years he'd gone without. The sweet boiled and mashed chestnuts topped with a fine layer of kinako had been served as dessert and it brought a tear to his eye as he somehow remembered Sai's longing for the dish.

He'd eaten many more meals with Akira's family now. And while their meals were traditionally a combination of rice, miso soup, tsukemono (the tangy pickles Akira's mother made weekly) and fish, they were delicious. There was a flavor to them that modern foods seemed to lack. There was no bite of ginger or wasabi in a french fry and no gentle hint of dashi in a hamburger. And then there were the sweets.

Akira's mother liked to make wagashi to serve with the tea she brought to her husband and son and the various go pros that were always around. Delicate mochi stuffed with sweet red bean paste, or shaved ice topped with her homemade syrup made from grape ivy sap, or other confections made with wasanbon, a fine ivory sugar with a hint of spice to it that she had introduced him to one day while she was cooking; the delicate snacks were her hobby and Hikaru was happy to partake of them. The tastes stayed with him, and even years later, he could tell whether Akira had been home for tea before meeting him in the evenings just from the scent.

He forced himself to focus on his game against Ashiwara. The other man had tried yet another new opening hand against him and it wasn't working well. Hikaru had already achieved a dominance on the board that Ashiwara was unlikely to overcome even if he were to be possessed of his own ghost who was a master of go. In the middle of chuuban, Ashiwara resigned and Hikaru bowed his head slightly in response and accepted the resignation. He thought Ashiwara should know better by now than to try such ridiculous things in oteai games, but Hikaru himself wasn't exactly innocent of it either. 

He caught the scent of genmaicha again and turned his head sharply to see Akira staring at their board. The scent of the roasted rice mixed with the earthy green tea that Hikaru knew had been part of Akira's breakfast made him smile, and he swallowed again as his mouth seemed to ache for a taste of it. "You done?" he asked finally.

Akira held out a hand to help Hikaru stand. "It turns out your sensei is in the hospital for food poisoning. I've just been waiting for you. You do have time for a game, right?"

Hikaru let Akira pull him upward and he was overpowered by the scent of sandalwood again with that faint hint of tea and rice. "Just let me record my game. Ashiwara-san," he said as he turned to the other man, "Can we do our discussion another time?"

Ashiwara smiled. "I'm certain I'll hear enough from Ogata-san about how bad my playing was once he sees the record of this. Go and have at least one good game today."

And several minutes later, Hikaru found himself walking down the sidewalk with Akira who pulled out a small bag and opened it. Hikaru glanced at it briefly and his eyes widened. "Kuro-ame?"

Akira placed one of the sweets on his tongue and nodded before offering the bag to Hikaru. Digging into the bag quickly, Hikaru grabbed two pieces and placed one on his tongue. The taste of the black sugar candy filled his mouth with flavor, and his mind with memories. This was what Akira had been eating the first time they had kissed. Rather, the first time that Hikaru had grabbed the other man and pulled him close enough to taste. It was the scent of it, he still thought. It wasn't a fancy chocolate bar or overwrought confection. It was simple and pure and warm and it had drawn him forward until he was tasting it in Akira's mouth and getting both of their lips sticky.

The taste of it in his mouth now made him salivate and caused his heart to beat faster. He looked at Akira with his argyle sweater and khaki slacks and couldn't help but imagine him in something more traditional instead. He'd seen Akira in hakama once. The thought of it now was intensely erotic. He imagined untying the cords and pushing past the material until he made his way to Akira's cock. He'd coax it upright with the help of his hands and mouth until Akira couldn't help but fist his hands in Hikaru's hair and use the other man's mouth to take his own pleasure before thrusting in totally as he came with a trembling shudder and spent himself on Hikaru's tongue.

Hikaru licked his lips and tried to remind himself that it was kuro-ame that was melting away in his hot mouth. "What kind of game did you want to play? Speed go?" he made himself ask Akira.

Akira bit his bottom lip as Hikaru watched his face. His eyes roamed over Hikaru. "I thought we might find something to play in my room."

With a groan, Hikaru nodded. "Yes." It took everything he had not to immediately begin dashing toward the Touyas' home. Instead, he fought to keep his pace even with Akira's casual stride, though the other man was thoughtful enough to walk faster than he had been. By the time they finally reached the front door, Hikaru had pulled his shirt from the front of his pants to hide the erection he'd begun sporting around the time of his daydream. Akira had a messenger bag that hung just-so in front of his.

"Akira!" he said needily as the other man dug in the bag for his keys. They were careful to call each other by their family names at the Institute, but had opted for familiarity otherwise for several years. "Your parents are still out of town, right?"

"Yes." It took Akira a moment to open the door, but once he did, he pulled Hikaru inside and pushed him against a wall as he shut the door behind him with a modicum of force. His mouth was on Hikaru's almost instantly with his tongue quickly following to delve inside to tangle with Hikaru's own. Hikaru's hands came to the bottom of Akira's sweater and pulled it upward. His fingers found the undershirt he knew would be there and pulled it upward as well to reveal pale, warm flesh. As Akira's teeth dragged his bottom lip down, Hikaru pulled upward faster. He moaned softly as Akira stepped away to finish pulling his sweater and undershirt off and hissed as Akira shoved him against the wall again and began to slowly unbutton Hikaru's shirt while biting a line down the side of his neck.

As Hikaru struggled out of his shirt, Akira's thumbs hooked into his own waistband and traced forward along his abdomen. He'd gone without a belt today and Hikaru was glad now as he saw the other man slowly pull the button through his buttonhole and peel the sides of the placket down. The zipper slid down with no coercion and Hikaru froze at the sight of it. His mouth began to water again as he saw the outline of Akira's erection dotting pre-come against his underwear. Hikaru huffed out a breath and threw his shirt to the ground. He undid his belt with fumbling fingers and let the sides fall where they would as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and pushed them down to his ankles with a quick motion. He stepped from their confines and slid his hands around Akira's waist and down past the loosened waistband to cup the other man's ass firmly.

Akira's head fell back slowly and Hikaru was drawn to suckle at his Adam's apple and lick down to the notch of his clavicle. The hint of sweat and musk on his lover's skin drove him to push Akira's pants down quickly and grind their erections together. "We're not going to make it to the bedroom," Hikaru said in a low voice against Akira's throat.

"The bathroom down here," Akira gasped out between moans as Hikaru's hip bones made contact with his own as their fabric-covered arousals were pushed together firmly.

Hikaru slid his hands down further and grabbed the backs of Akira's thighs and lifted Akira up so he could settle his legs around Hikaru's waist. Slowly, Hikaru let his feet find their way toward the full downstairs bath as he nuzzled against Akira's neck and leaned his head down to lave an erect pink nipple. When he reached the bathroom, he thrust Akira against the door and let the other man slide down so Hikaru got the sensation of Akira's sac and shaft catching at the tent of his own boxers.

With a gasp, Akira opened the door behind him with one hand and used the other to cup Hikaru's balls and urge him forward. Hikaru followed the heat of Akira's hand and kicked the door shut behind him. Akira let go of him and went to the cabinet and began rifling around in one of the drawers before coming out a moment later with a condom and a bottle of lubricant.

Hikaru sat on the edge of the tub and breathed deeply as Akira approached him. He paused only to set the condom and lubricant on the top of the closed toilet seat. When Akira joined him on the edge of the tub, Hikaru's hand quested out and pulled down the waistband of the other man's underwear and grasped the hot erection that pushed against his hand. It was a quick movement to lean over and lick the head of Akira's cock where it rose from the end of his foreskin. He licked his lips and wrapped them carefully around the end of the glans and slid forward to take in several inches of cock. The scent of sandalwood wasn't as strong here, overpowered as it was by Akira's natural musk, but it was joined by the scent of hinoki coming from the wooden walls of the bathroom. It was a musty, almost medicinal smell, but mixed well with the other scents like a peculiar aromatherapy designed to make his cock throb. 

He worked his tongue against Akira's foreskin as he moved his head up and down and swallowed often with the head of Akira's cock nestled against the back of his throat. He pulled away for a moment as Akira's hand began to slide through his hair and knelt on the floor between the other man's legs instead. He let his left hand come up to position Akira's cock back in his mouth while the other slid down to grasp himself. As he slowly played with his own cock, he moved his left hand to cup Akira's balls and pull him forward. Akira's hips thrust forward and Hikaru closed his eyes and reveled in the tang of pre-come on his tongue as his hand worked back further to brush lightly against Akira's entrance.

Akira groaned and pushed his hips forward as he threaded his fingers in two-toned hair and pulled Hikaru further down on his cock before letting him go a moment later. "We need to do this soon if you want me to last," he panted out as he forced his hands to clutch the edge of the tub. 

Hikaru licked one long swipe up the underside of Akira's cock and let his own cock go before standing up. He grabbed the lubricant and opened it quickly. "Turn over," he said gruffly as he drizzled the lube on the fingers of his right hand. He slicked a quick layer over his cock, then moved them to Akira's entrance where he pressed the tips of his middle and index fingers just inside and gently scissored them as he pushed slowly inward. "Tell me when you can take another," he said in a breath against Akira's back. 

It was only a moment before Akira was arching his back to force Hikaru's fingers in deeper. "Another," he said firmly. Hikaru's ring finger slid in by the first two fingers and he eased them slowly in and out of Akira as the man pushed back on him with more and more fervor. "That's enough. Do me."

Hikaru kissed the last bump of Akira's spine before he removed his fingers. He grabbed the condom package, ripped it open and stretched it just slightly before sliding it over the head of his cock and pushing it down. He added another measure of lubricant before stepping into the tub and pressing himself against Akira's entrance. "Let me in," he said against the other man's neck.

Akira pushed back against him and Hikaru felt the tight ring of muscle ease against him just enough to allow him entrance. Then it was sliding down over him slowly before he was fully seated within Akira. Hikaru sat back down on the edge of the tub and pulled Akira with him so he was pressed fully inside the other man with no escape. They stayed that way for several long moments until Akira's hips started to buck against him. 

The room was starting to get warm, and sweat was beginning to form a sheen on their bodies. As Hikaru pressed his forehead to Akira's back, he felt a bead of sweat against his cheek and wasn't sure which of them it had come from. He pressed his hips upward against Akira, and then used his hands to grasp at the other man's thighs to help propel him upward. Like this, they got a good rhythm going that got even better as Akira let one hand come to rest on the side of the tub and the other on the handrail on the wall. The leverage made the strokes longer and harder and more intense. Hikaru knew he wouldn't last too much longer at this rate either. He halted his thrusts and pulled out of Akira who moaned at the loss. "I want to face you," he said quietly, though his passion was still evident in his voice.

Akira turned toward him and straddled him quickly; reaching back with one hand to help Hikaru find his entrance again. He sank onto Hikaru's cock much faster this time and Hikaru was lost in the sight of the pleasure that washed over Akira's face. Hikaru inched himself downward until he was holding his hips as high as they would go while his neck rested against the side of the tub and Akira straddled him with spread thighs and worked himself up and down on Hikaru's shaft; beating a rhythm that matched the one of Hikaru's heart.

Hikaru let one hand come up to stroke at Akira's erection that bobbed gently against the other man's stomach. He was so close. Just a few more strokes and he'd be lost to it. Akira seemed to know this and took him suddenly deeper with each thrust, and even twisting his hips just slightly as he impaled himself. Hikaru's breath caught in his throat and he jerked his hips upward and clutched at Akira's thighs to hold him as he thrust into that tight hole. When he finished, he let his hips fall so he was sitting in the tub and Akira's still-hard erection was in front of him. He pulled it to his mouth and began to suck in earnest as he fondled Akira's balls and the base of his shaft. 

"Hikaru!" Akira's hips pushed forward and Hikaru closed his eyes at the feel of Akira's come spreading out on his tongue. He swallowed around the cock in his mouth and used his tongue to trace beneath Akira's foreskin and along the slit and then up the vein on the underside of Akira's cock before pulling off slowly. Hikaru licked his lips and lay back in the tub with a contented sigh. Akira reached down and softly touched Hikaru's cheek before lowering himself to wrap his arms around Hikaru's neck. "You are going to be so sore later."

Hikaru nodded as a smile overcame him. "Worth it." He let the sensation of pleasure continue to wash over him as he tried to calm his racing heart by taking deep breaths. The room smelled of hinoki and sex now. That hint of sandalwood and genmaicha was gone for the moment, but the memory still lingered. "You taste like home, you know."

Akira pulled back from their sweaty embrace. "What do you mean?"

"Just... You taste like Japan should taste. Your skin and your lips and your come are all just as Japanese as soba and dashi and tofu. You're delicious."

Turning his head slightly, Akira gave Hikaru just a hint of a smile. "You taste like the future."

Hikaru leaned his head back against the tub's edge again as a grin overcame him. "Speaking of the future, how about some food?"

"My mother left some daifuku for us. I can make some tea." Akira was already standing up and grabbing for a towel. 

"Matcha?" Hikaru eased himself upward slightly and massaged at his neck with one hand while the other pulled off the used condom.

Akira grinned. "What else? You always drink matcha when you're here. Don't think I don't remember the fuss the one time I made oolong for you."

Hikaru stuck out his tongue as he knotted the condom and tossed it into the trashcan from where he sat. "I can't help it. I come over here and I just feel so... patriotic?"

"I'll have to remember that before the next time we play in an international tournament," Akira said as he held out a hand to help Hikaru stand. "Would you like to play a game after tea?"

Rolling his eyes, Hikaru stood proudly in the middle of the tub with his arms akimbo. "Of course! Who do you think your boyfriend _is_?"

Laughing, Akira handed a towel to Hikaru. "My apologies. Wipe down and we'll go get dressed, have tea and have a game."

"We should really take showers," Hikaru said as he brought the towel down the side of his face.

Akira laughed. "Who says I'm done with you for the day?"

Hikaru finally stepped out of the tub and wrapped his arms around Akira before kissing him soundly and taking just a little more of Akira's flavor for himself. "We never make it up to your room anymore."

"Why do you think there's lube hidden down here now?"

"Mmm... but I like rolling around on your futon with yukata on." Hikaru traced a finger down Akira's hip.

"That," Akira said, "can be arranged."


End file.
